Eric Frokjer is a Senior Consultant at HRchitect. Since 2012, he’s been helping HRchitect’s clients implement HR solutions ranging from applicant tracking through workforce management, and everything in between.
Hometown: I was born in Los Angeles, California. I grew up in Thousand Oaks, California which was formerly the summer home of the Dallas Cowboys, and is now the headquarters of the Los Angeles Rams.
Alma Mater: Pacific Lutheran University in Parkland, Washington.
Favorite Food: If I’m dining out, Thai food is my favorite. If we’re talking about home cooked meals, my wife cooks a number of Mexican dishes that are great!
Favorite Book: This is a tough one, as I’ve been an avid reader since I was in the 4th grade! I read mostly for entertainment and read a lot of spy, historical and crime novels. One book that stands out is Killing Jesus by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard, which was a historical perspective of everything that was going on during Jesus’ life.
Favorite Movie: I’m not sure I can pick just one! A few of my favorites are Shawshank Redemption, the 1984 original version of Dune with Kyle MacLachlan, The Big Lebowski, and as a music lover, I can’t forget Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same.
Favorite Quote: Either “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself” or “Why Can’t We All Just Get Along”
Hobbies: I’m a big live music fan, so I love to attend live music concerts. I also love listening to music and camping.
How did you find out about HRchitect, and what made you join the company? I had met Matt Lafata, our President & CEO and Rick Fletcher, the founder of HRchitect at a conference in Las Vegas. After working for Transamerica and ADP, which are massive companies, I knew that I wanted to make the switch to working at a smaller organization, where I’d be able to more directly see the impact of my work. I reached out to Matt and HRchitect had a need for an implementation consultant to help client’s implement SilkRoad’s Heartbeat system.
In your own words, what do you do at HRchitect? I help clients implement a variety of HCM systems. I’ve done implementations of a wide range of Human Resources, Benefits, Payroll and Time & Attendance software systems. Now, I focus predominantly on helping clients who are implementing Benefitfocus. I review client benefit documents and lead discovery sessions to gather business requirements to prepare for the upcoming implementation project. I collaborate with the Configuration Analysts to make sure those requirements are configured properly, help to test the initial configuration, and work with the client for their configuration validation testing and system integration testing. For clients who are utilizing a Communication Portal, I initially configure the portal and support the client as they flesh this out with the rest of their requirements. When a client is ready for go live, I support them through the go live process, as well as their subsequent benefits open enrollment period, and help with all of the post-open enrollment tasks.
What motivates you to wake up and go to work every day? Working with my teams at HRchitect to get our clients the system they need and getting all their employees enrolled in Benefits.
What have been some of your favorite trips for client or partner meetings? I had the chance to visit Niagara Falls for a weekend trip when I was going through an implementation certification course. I also had an opportunity to visit Rockefeller Center in NYC in December 2018 with a co-worker to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.
A few years ago while working on an UltiPro project at a natural resources company, I was invited to travel to the Missouri area and go down into one of the client’s mines. The other consultants and I were outfitted with all the necessary safety equipment and went through the safety drills. It was very interesting to be that far underground and see all the mining activity, machines and refrigerators containing explosives.
Which employee perk that HRchitect offers do you enjoy the most? Why? I really enjoy working from home. In previous roles when I had a commute, I needed to get up at 4:30 A.M. to arrive at the office by 6:30 A.M. It’s also refreshing to not have to travel for business every single week. In previous roles, I traveled around 45 weeks a year, which can be exhausting. Now, I travel significantly less, which helps to maintain work/life balance.
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